J.P. Rooneys

The team was founded in 1921 as Hope-Harvey. The team's name was based on two items. The first was a fire station, located in the city's Hope ward, where the team would dress and shower for home games. The second item was based on Dr. Walter Harvey, the physician who tended to injured players. According to Art Rooney, Dr. Walter Harvey never charged the team or players for his services. Rooney's semi-professional teams met a fair amount of success, including at least two Western Pennsylvania Senior Independent Football Conference titles in the early 1930s. In 1933, as Pennsylvania's blue laws were about to be repealed, Rooney applied for and received a franchise in the National Football League. The Rooneys morphed into the Pittsburgh Pirates, and were renamed the Steelers in 1940. ==Legacy==

The team marked the very beginning of Art J. Rooney's longstanding career in professional football. Art Rooney also became one of the biggest stars in the Pittsburgh sandlot football circuit as the team's quarterback. Finally, this period stands as the only time when Art Rooney managed, coached and played on a team. and Ray Kemp. In 2003 a sculpture of the Hope-Harvey team, consisting of 23 signed and numbered figures, each cold cast in nickel resin, were created by Kathy Rooney, the youngest daughter of the team's ball boy, Vince Rooney, and her husband, Ray Sokolowski. The couple made an original sculpture and 30 copies, which sold from $20,000 to $25,000 a piece. ==References==